Adept
by NeonZangetsu
Summary: Visions are strange, fickle things. You can never quite tell their meaning, nor can you discern their purpose. When she has a vision of a powerful warrior's arrival to aid her against the darkness, well he's the last thing she expected. NarutoxSabrina!
1. Adept

**A/N: Argh! Alright, Tamer received some bad press. I won't take it down but still, one of the reviewers gave me an interesting idea. Wouldn't a certain adept psychic be a better partner towards Naruto than some ditzy redhead? Looking back, I certainly think so. She's MUCH more mature, and considering that I am basing her off the game version of herself and NOT the anime, it should be doubly interesting...**

_"My power cannot be surpassed...nor can I._

_~Sabrina._

**Adept**

Death was a funny, fickle little thing.

If you couldn't stop for it, then it, stopped for you. It didn't care where you were, or what you doing. You could be about to save the world, and it wouldn't matter one bit to a creature like death. When your time was up, it was up. There could be no arguement waged against it, even as you bled to death in a pool of blood beside your best friend. It didn't care. Death didn't care if you friends were clutching at you, begging you to live. It didn't matter how strong you were,how much they wanted you to live. There could be no fighting against it.

There was only futility.

It sapped your strength like a leach. The harder you fought, the faster you went. It crept into your skin and promised only emptiness; the death of flesh and the freedom of a soul, at the cost of your physical form. Where did the soul go after death? Did it go to the afterlife? Did it reincarnate? Or did it simply pass from one plane of existence to the other; to another realm, parallel and yet entirely alien to your own. Perhaps the latter was true. Perhaps not. But perhaps it is.

Therefore, it came as less a surprise, more a relief, when he finally awoke.

_At first, anyway._

His first clue that he had returned from the land of nightmares came when darkness truly fell. The visions evaporated and the voices went with them. For a very welcome period there was nothing to see or hear or even think. He could just rest, and be.

Then new noises began to intrude upon his solace.

Then new noises began to intrude on the peaceful silence: the whirring of rustling cloth, low-pitched whispers and murmurrs from someone, a fizzing, spitting noise that could have been running water, and other sounds that had no place in his serenity. His heart rose at the sound of the river, rising above the others. The faint sticking point between the sound of trickling water was horribly familiar.

_'Where am I?'_

His mind clawed at the question, tearing it apart, piecing it back together only to sunder it anew any number of times.

Whatever obscure scene he had found himself in, it had passed. He closed his eyes and let out a small sob of relief, but refused to lower his guard all the same. The darkness had still yet to lift from his vision; because his eyes remained painfully scrunched shut. Whether it was a refusal on his part or simply his that his body coping with the trauma, he simply could not bring himself to see a thing.

"What...

Eventually, he forced his eyes open.

...the...

Eventually, he realized where he was.

_...shit?"_

And now he was here, overlooking a river, in a place he'd never been before. It was pretty enough, he supposed. He could hear the birds chirping_-it sounding something like a pidgey sound, so again, what the shit-_He stared down into the water's surface, eyes wide, mouth gawping. In placement of his his ears, a pair of orange-orange!-kitsune ears jutted just out of the yellow mane that was his hair. And if that weren't bad enough,if the ruined state of his black and orange jumpsuit were not enough, there were the _tails._

_Nine of them._

The nine tails of orange fur emerging from just above his backside. They coiled about him, as if sensing his distress. He raised his hands and saw that they had become claws the fingernails having sharpened themselves into razor sharp edges. He stared at them, at himself, and wondered_...what the hell happened?_ The last thing he remembers was the life leaching from his fingers, and a defiant snarl from his tenant. Then there had been a light, an exceedingly bright light that blotted out his vision and obliterated him of the earth.

And now he was here_-wherever here was-_looking like some strange fox-human hybrid. Acting on some instinct he wasn't sure of, Naruto reached for Kyuubi's prescence in his mind. The bastard fox-whom he'd recently befriended-was nowhere to be found. Only an empty cell that reeked of loneliness and death. He could still feel its chakra, however, flowing through his veins, making him better, faster, stronger...

Before he could contemplate it further, something struck the back of his head.

_Hard._

"Ouch!"

He felt a strange sort of suction sensation, and with every fiber of his being, he resisted. He tore himself free from the light enveloping him; bursting free from the the small confines of his prison. And then, as swift as his capture had been, so too was it over. He lurched upright and sundered whatever it was that held him. The darkness fled from his vision, and the light returned with an ecletic snap-hiss.

_Not gently._

He staggered forward, black spots bespeckling his vision. Swearing a blue streak, he blinked them away, searching for the source of his pain. A strange red and white sphere rolled to the ground, resting at his feet. Snarling, ignoring the sudden surge of vertigo, he picked it up. It was small and fit about the length of his palm. He tossed it up down with one hand, contemplating it. What was this thing? And why had someone thrown it at him? But he didn't have to wonder for long.

"Oh." Someone sighed a dissapointed sigh from a ways behind him. "It didn't work, after all."

Naruto rounded on them, glaring bloody red daggers at the one who had spoken.

"What the _hell_ was that for!" He exclaimed furiously as he came about. "Where you trying to kill me or_...something?"_

He took in the large eyes, perfectly coifed hair, clear skin, full lips, and lean, firm curves and he marveled at her. Hers was a beauty beyond describing, but, ultimately, it was the eyes that ensnared him him. Her eyes were cool, twin pools of crystalline jade, so much unlike his own. Hers were eyes that knew pain, but at some point her pain had been taken to pieces it had been dissected, dissasembled, examined from every angle, and then, summarily conquered.

She

"You spoke." The girl noted, her eyes widening marginally, her tone remaining flat. "You spoke to me."

"Well, duh."

"Pokemon should not be capable of speech." The girl remanded quietly, taking a step forward. _"You_ should not be capable of speech." Despite himself Naruto took a small step backward. Kami! Didn't this girl care about his personal space? Still, one of the words she'd said nagged at him. What was it again. _Pokemon._ What the hell was a pokemon? It irked him, his confusion, so he repeated the quesiton aloud.

"Poke-what?"

The girl blinked, slowly.

"Pokemon." She repeated staring at him. "Isn't that what you are?"

"I am no such thing!"

She blinked.

"I suppose not." She gazed up into the afternoon sky, regarding the clouds with idle interest. "Pokemon are incapable of speech, and yet you are speaking to me." She tilted a bit to the side, as if in thought. "That's strange, isn't it?"

Naruto sweatdropped.

"I think we've established that, already."

"Who or what are you, then?" The girl inquired, turning her gaze back to him with sudden authority. "Tell me."

"Naruto." He snapped back, slightly offended. Just who did she think he was? First she threw things at him, and then she demanded his name? Shikamaru would have said she was troublesome. Naruto was inclined to agree. She reminded him of Shizune; calm, just with...less clothing and less fussiness. Now that he looked, he noted her attire; a red blouse and a pair of slim blue jeans that hugged her hips in all the right places. Her skin was a soft, porcelain pale as was her face around which long tresses of deep darkened green lofted around her pale, beautiful heart-shaped face.

_Wow._ He thought to himself, his irritation falling away into awe. _She's...actually kinda cute_.

"Just a moment." She held up a finger for silence, although Naruto hadn't said anything. "I need to be certain of something."

_?_

The girl produced a small red device from her pocket, and Naruto cringed. Was she going to throw that at him, too? Instead, the device flipped itself open, and the girl seemed to stare at it for what felt like an eternity. Finally the device beeped in response, and replied with:

_No Data Available._

"Odd." The girl murmurred, glancing from the device to Naruto, then back again. "Why isn't there any data? You can't possibly be human...can you?"

"I _am_ human!" Naruto stressed, his words tumbling to a growl. "How many times do I have to say that to you, girl?"

"Sabrina."

_"Huh?"_

"My name is Sabrina." She answered matter-of-factly, pinnioning him with a gaze, even as she returned the device to her pocket. "I was once the Gym Leader of Saffron City, until a certain organization took control of my home and forced me to flee." Naruto blinked at that one. Sabrina, huh? That was a nice name. It suited her. But she looked so sad now...

"Did something happen?"

"Team Rocket." She spat the word as though it were poison. "They happened."

"Wow, that's a lame name."

"On that we can agree." said Sabrina.

"So they just came and took over your town." Naruto repeated, trying to form the image in his mind. "Just like that? Didn't you fight back?"

"I fought!" Sabrina snapped back, her voice rising to a frantic cry. "But I'm only one person! There's only one of me, and dozens of them! I couldn't possibly take on the entire organization by myself!" Abruptly she quieted, her voice falling, her eyes drifting toward her feet, her toes squirming within her sandals. "I did fight." She whispered to herself, as if trying to convince herself of her conviction. "I did." She quivered; her teeth sinking into her lip, her hands squeezing against her shoulders in an awkward embrace. Could she stand there and take it all? Could she hold it in, and keep from breaking apart? Probably not.

Naruto's heart went out to the girl.

"That sounds bad." Naruto shrugged. "I wish I could help, I really do, but...I just can't." He turned away from her, ignoring the sharp stones of the riverbed as they dug into his feet. "I have to get back to Konoha...

"Konoha?" Sabrina repeated softly, her eyes narrowing tearily in confusion. "I've never heard of such a place."

A cold snake of dread coiled in Naruto's gut. He felt like he'd just been stabbed. Never heard of Konoha? Just where the hell had he landed? What was all this talk of _Pokemon_ and this strange attire this girl wore? He couldn't recall having _ever_ seen anyone wearing such ridiculously tight jeans and such a scintilating outfit...

"Um, yeah, sure." He shook his head, slamming the lid on that train of thought. "Look, I really need to get going and I have no idea where here is, so if you'd kindly direct me toward the nearest town...

"Saffron City _is_ the closest town." Sabrina repeated, still looking at him with those sad, sad eyes of hers. _Damnit!_ What was it with women and the damned puppy eyes! They were the bane of every man's existence! He cast his gaze skyward, trying to avoid those teary eyes of jade. He did not succeed. Sabrina's gaze held him and ignored any and all attempts to otherwise evade it. That she was standing mere feet from him certainly didn't aid the situation any.

"S-Stop staring at me!" Naruto spluttered. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing I can do!"

"Can't you?" she sobbed, hiccuping quietly as she finally boke down.

"H-Hey!" He cried, stepping toward her. "Don't cry!" Shit! He didn't know how to deal with this sort of thing! The only time he'd seen someone cry before him had been Sakura and he'd been just a boy back then. He might be older now, but he hadn't a clue as to what to do. Tentatively, awkwardly, he laid his hands on Sabrina's shoulders. Instead of calming she grabbed him. _Violently. _Her hands fisted feebly against the lappels of his jacket and dragged him forward, twisting the fabric as she buried her head into his chest and stood there, sobbing tremulously. Naruto froze, arms raised behind her back in an awkward embrace. And _then_ she started crying. Naruto remained there, frozen, unsure and uncertain of what he wanted his arms to do.

Suddenly, by some instinct he wasn't aware of, they closed around Sabrina. One hand moved to the back of her head, the other cradled her back and held her close. Sabrina, she sniffled, but said nothing. Her nails dug into his jacket, pricking the skin beneath, making Naruto want to cry out, but he bit his tongue. He tasted blood in his mouth, but said nothing. Did nothing. By some instinct, he knew not to release her. He held her for what felt like a long time, but what was probably one five minutes.

Eventually, Sabrina quieted. Her face remained buried against his chest, but her sobs stopped. As if by some silent accord, Naruto's arms knew to release her at that moment, and in that very moment Sabrina took a deep breath and stepped away from him.

"I am...sorry, Naruto." She fumbled with the words, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of a hand. "I musn't be seen like this. You must think me a fool." She smiled then and it was the most beautiful, brilliant thing he'd ever seen. Her eyes were red and blotchy from crying, and it looked as though she might cry again, but Sabrina stood strong. She awaited his response, as though her very being hinged on his approval.

Whomever she was, this girl had some serious confidence issues.

"Well, I wouldn't call you a fool per se," Naruto chuckled nervously, his cheeks heating up under her gaze. "I'd say you're someone willing to fight for what they believe in, and for those they want to protect. There's nothing wrong with crying about it when things get tough, but its what you take away from it that matters, ya know?" Aha, there it was the dreadful "ya know" tacked onto the end of his sentence.

Sabrina blushed, a faint, eager red.

"No one's ever said that to me before, Naruto." She stepped forward then, swiftly, pressed her lips to his cheek and backed away just as quickly. "Thank you." Naruto blinked with widening eyes. Once. Twice. Three times. Touched a hand to his cheek. Stared at it. At Sabrina. Back to the hand. Back to Sabrina. A kiss. He'd just been kissed! Disbelif threatened to overwhelm him and set his cheeks aflame, but he ruthlessly suppressed it, managing a lame-sounding:

"Yeah...no problem."

_Well, maybe I can do something...aargh! No! _He shook his head._ Resist! Must resist! I have to get back to the village! _But it was futile. Despite the intense desire to find home again, he just couldn't ignore someone in need. That said someone happened to be rather attractive_-damn you Ero-Senin!-_and was looking at him in such away that his knees turned to jelly was merely icing on the cake. He was a shinobi after all_-assuming he still was after looking like this-_and as a ninja, he just couldn't let such an injustice happen under his watched. Plus, there was a pretty girl involved! Damnit, not again! Mentally, he cursed his mentor for supplanting his naivete with all these perverted thoughts in his head.

"Will you help me then, Naruto?" Sabrina asked, her hand straying to belt she wore, where a series of small spheres could be seen. Naruto didn't understand their purpose, nor did he care; because his mind was elsewhere. In all honesty, he couldn't say no to Sabrina just because he wanted to out of here. He didn't even know where here was! If he could figure that out, then _maybe_ he'd be able to find his way home.

With any luck, he might be able to find some clues as to where he'd landed and possibly, get his bearings. He couldn't possibly be _that_ far from Konoha, right? Wrong. Naruto had no way of knowing where he was; no way of knowing that he was indeed, very far from home. But he would not realize this for awhile yet; nor would he know that there was no way of getting home. But for now, he deluded himself into thinking that everything would be alright.

_Foolish._

"I...think I might be able to help you, Sabrina-san." Naruto answered tersely, unable to keep the exasperation from his tone. He didn't like the situation. He didn't like it one tiny bit. He didn't want to have anything to do with this situation; going up against a troublesome organization with theor troublesome antics. _Great._ Now _he_ was starting to sound like Shikamaru!

"Well, I guess you should show me where this Saffron City is, then...

With that, Naruto started to silently move away. She quickly turned and reached out with her hand, grabbing his forearm. He froze. She took his hand and brought it slowly up to hers, her fingers locking around his wrist. Her grip was surprisingly secure for a girl of her stature, and she held him fast.

"Sabrina-san, what-

"Will you really help me?" She asked, softer this time. "Really?"

"Well...yeah." Naruto blinked. "I said I wouldn't didn't I?"

"Well, in that case Naruto, since you _can_ talk, would you be so kind as to allow me to capture you?" There was a silence, and when he did not answer, she hurried to recover her words. "Um...well, I usually prefer psychic pokemon myself but since you're so rare...I promise I will be gentle." She produced another of those strange spheres from her pack, and showed him it, as if in offering.

"Erm...I'll have to decline." He said with a shake of the head. She still hadn't released his hand. "I'm not really a fan of being captured." A pause. "Come to think of it, I don't even know what you mean by that "capture" thing, but quite frankly, I don't very much like the sound of it."

"Oh." Sabrina seemed dissapointed, but she did not press the matter further. "I apologize for my rudeness."

"You've nothing to be sorry for."

Sabrina smiled softly to herself.

"_I'm glad I had a vision of your arrival." _she murmurred, the words little more than a whisper. Because she had. Shortly before Team Rocket's attack, she'd had a vision of a powerful warrior who would aid her and stand by her side against the forces of darkness. She believed this "Naruto" to be that warrior. He certainly looked the part. Now she looked upon him and she was even more certain than before.

"Did you say something?" he asked.

"N-Nothing!" Sabrina sputtered, moving to walk ahead of him...

_...nothing at all."_

**A/N: Yup! Naruto meets Sabrina! But what exactly is he? Guess he'll find out as he helps her retake Saffron City from a certain organization *cough*Team Rocket*cough* Also, I apologize for any OOC that is to be found within this chap; because this is an AU crossover story, after all. Hope you enjoy it! Don't worry, we'll get to see Ash and co...eventually! This story will focus primarily on Naruto and Sabrina, who, suffice to say, is about to have quite the surprise thrown at her as of next chapter. BTW...I wonder if Naruto will have any of his old shinobi powers intact, i.e. sage mode, chakra cloak, shadow clones, etc...**

**R&R! =D**


	2. Trainer

**A/N: Alright ladies and gentlmen, good news and bad news. Good news first. I'm fresh out of ANOTHER surgery-hurts like hell. Bad news. Things aren't looking well for me. My health has been in decline as of late, my job is kicking my sickly ass, and once more, Im having damn girl problems?! Ain't that just peachy?! *Takes a deep breath* Alright then, enough of the rant, ya'll are here for the story, not the rambling of a man potentially on his deathbed.**

**Anywho,I managed to put this up here at points between the forced anesthetic. Bad news is I still have more surgeries ahead. Still, I'm feeling a bit better now. Really. ****I'm hanging tough though, despite everything life is throwing at me. Despite all that's happening, I don't intend to die quietly in a bed somewhere! And on that note I should give you fair warning, some changes have been made here to keep things interesting, folks. So with that, onto the next long awaited OVERDUE chapter of...ADEPT!**

_"...well ain't this ironic?"_

_~?!_

**Trainer**

...um, Sabrina-san?"

"Yes?"

Naruto's left eye twitched ever so slightly in _irritation_ cringing as a lone raindrop slipped through the branches to strike his eyelid before trailing down a whiskered cheek seconds later. This was turning out to be another one of those days _again._ Or if it hadn't already it would be soon. He could feel it in his bones. A day in which nothing absolutely had gone right but often sideways-a day in which he currently found himself tobe cold and shivering, trapped beneath the welcoming shade of a trees in a desperate attempt to outlast the storm.

Their journey to Saffron City hadn't gone as smoothly as one would've expected, certainly not as Sabrina had planned. First there had been that rainstorm -then the landslide-then a rainstorm _and_ a landslide. As if such obstructions hadn't been enough to deter them, there had been a Tauros stampede-of all the rotten times!-forcing the duo to flee, lest they be trampled. End result, they were even further from their goal than they had ever been in the beginning, stuck somewhere between Virdian and Pewter City, much to Sabrina's dismay.

Rumor had it that a long trainer by the name of Red had already quelled the disturbance in Saffron during their abscence and sent Team Rocket packing, but the news did little to lift Naruto or Sabrina's spirits. The only plus to this situation was that it had allowed the former to gain a bit more knowledge of this realm, if only a tad. He may have not been able to _henge _away these blasted ears and tail but he'd since lear

Which led to this strange creature sitting in his lap.

"Why is this thing still here?" he pointed to the little red fox nestled in his chest.

_"Vulpix!"_ the small kitsune chirruped its name happily and buried herself deeper into the folds of his still-warm coat. Naruto sweatdropped before gently patting at her velvet fur-earning himself yet another delighted yip from this most unexpected of guests, otherwise remaining silent until Sabrina finally decided to bail the blonde's out of his consternated funk.

"That, is a Vulpix." the smallest of smiles tugged at the gym leader's lips as the tiny kitsune curled deeper into his stomach. "A pokemon native to this region. And I don't believe she's following us. She's following you, I think she likes you, rather the food you gave her. Its a rare thing for a wild pokemon to beceome so attached to someone without being captured, first." As if to emphasize the woman's pointed words Vulpix nuzzled her head against one of blonde's many tails, purring contentedly.

"Vul!"

Naruto banged the back of his head against the tree mutliple times, jostling a startled Weedle down onto his head. The smaller pokemon cried out in annoyance, its tiny legs gripping his scalp for balance as it took in its new surroundings, paused a moment, seemed to consider stinging him for a moment, only to scamper off his scalp seconds later when the Vulpix spat a cone of fire up at it. Unfortunately in doing so, it singed the blond right on the nose, elicting a started yelp and another impromptu headbutt against the oak even harder than before.

The horde of angry Beedrill that buzzed down at them less than a heartbeat later were decidely less benevolent in their intentions! Sabrina released a hiss of breath, one hand straying to her belt and the pokeballs kept within it. In the end, she needn't have bothered.

"Sonuva-

Naruto opened his mouth to swear and accidentally emitted his own cone of destruction; the flamethrower scorching the enraged hornets to a fainted crisp; causing the thankfully-still-damp leaves to steam dangerously overhead. There was a silence. And then.

And _then._

"Oh." Sabrina blinked, baffled. "That was...new."

Naruto frowned, gawping at the still twitching hornets at their feet. They wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

"Yeah, no kidding."

Crushing silence descended upon their dim little shelter once more as the last of his sentence lingered in the still air around them. Naruto hunched forward, his elbows resting heavily on his knees, and let his head drop, unable to meet her eyes. Instead, he focused on the small pokemon in front of him, his gaze shifting between her soft red fur and those inquisitive pearlescent orbs peering up at him.

"Vulpix?"

The little kit chirped an inquiry; when no reply was immediately forthcoming she pushed up on her paws and licked at his singed nose in apology. Despite himself, Naruto sighed. _Lovely._

Less than a week into this strange new world and already his newfound appearance was attracting animals. Oops. _Pokemon._ Sabrina had nearly tossed his head into a tree with her pyschic powers when he'd made that first -and very nearly fatal!- mistake of referring to them as baser creatures; evidently the trainer was quite fond of her own partners.

"She really does seem to like you." Sabrina ventured. _She?_ This thing was a girl?

"Yes, I can see that." He ammended with a small smile, his tone becoming lighter as he peered down at the fox. "Always did have a thing with the ladies, ya know?." Vulpix _was_ an adorable little thing; almost reminding him of a mini Kurama, minus the evil eyes. Apparently she was a fire type, which explained her intense dislikes of rain. It did _not_ explain, however, the sudden spike of killer intent he felt from his companion. One didn't need to look to know she was glaring bloody red daggers into his back. Was she really that naive?

"I was joking!" Naruto cried!

"You sounded serious." her powerful aura didn't abate in the slightest.

"Well, I wasn't." he returned with a shrug, bracing himself to vault up and away if she tried to use telekinesis against him again. "It was just a joke. Trying ta lighten the mood." After a moment he added, "You look like you could use it, I mean."

...honestly?"

"Yeah."

Swallowing a scowl, the last Uzumaki turned and shook his head with tightlly controlled movements. Who was he to defy a powerful pyschic? He wasn't gonna willing to be pounded for perversion, but Sabrina could just be so...simple sometimes when it came to practical matters. It was cute, in its own way. He would've continued to mess her out further, had a blur of motion caught his eye.

His hand snapped up almost without thinking, fingers wrapping around the brightly colored sphere seconds later before he realized what it was. A...pokeball? For a moment he nearly reprimanded her; lashed out for her trying to capture him. Again! He was not, nor had he ever been, a pokemon! But when he looked into her eyes, he saw none of the hardness that had been there before. Far from it; they seemed almost kind in contrast to her earlier remarks.

"She...would make a good partner." the psychic's eyes had softened, regarding the small creature in his lap. "Don't you think?"

Naruto held the pokeball in his hand for a long moment, considering the implications of what he was about to do. Vulpix lifted her head, meeting his gaze evenly, her head tilted. Was it really so wrong to want a partner in this strange new world he wondered? He still wasn't entirely sure how he felt about these pokeballs-having very nearly been trapped in one himself only a few days before-but since Vulpix already appeared to be kind to him even before it had been "tamed" he couldn't help but wonder.

"Whaddya say, girl?" he addressed the diminiutive foxlet still nestled so firmly in his lap. "Wanna come with us?"

Vulpix cooed softly. Naruto took that as a yes.

With that, he dropped it.

The ball hit the little kitsune right on her nogin, engulfing her in a swirl of red light. He looked on, thunderstruck as that light was sucked into the now-open pokeball, which snapped shut upon its passing, rolling quietly to the floor at his feet. There was a bit of noise as it jostle once, twice, three times and then...ding! The red light still flashing suddenly dimmed. Just like that. It was done. Almost unable to believe what he'd done, the last shinobi, reached down for the

"Well, damn." he muttered, cradling the sphere in hand. "Guess I caught her, huh? Easier than I thought..."

_Ding!_

Naruto nearly jumped out of his _skin _when the pokeball burst open; releasing its occupant in a swirl of fluorescent light. Less than a second later a furry red blur slammed into his chest, knocking him back into the tree in a shower of Medapod and Kakuna. It wasn't much of an impact, especially when one considering just what kind of hell he'd been through during the Fourth Shinobi War, but the sheer shock of the pokeball bursting a gasket like that and with the little kit up and tackling him...it was a bit overwhelming!

_"Vulpix!"_

"Gah! What're you-oi! S-Stop licking me, damnit! Not the tails! It tickles!"

Sabrina laughed; it was a chiming, musical sound. "It seems she doesn't like being kept ina pokeball-remind you of someone, folks?-does she, Naruto-kun?"

The blonde balked a moment, disbelieving as he partner continued to try and lick at his whiskered cheek. He set her down with a grunt and received no protest for his efforts, the kitsune seemed quite content to simply stay by his side in any shape or form.

"Huh," he murmurred. "I'm guessing you don't like being cooped up in that thing."

She shook her head sharply; an emphatic "No!" if there ever was one.

"Look at that." the psychic remarked. "It looks like the rain's letting up...

Naruto silently agreed. It certainly looked like it. Sure enough, the rumble of thunder and the crash of lightning could no longer be seen nor heard over their heads. At this rate, they'd be able to leave the forest behind them and all the pokemon within it...

Unbidden, his gaze strayed to one of the prone Beedrill lying at their feet. The poor thing wasn't down like the rest of its kin although it had still very nearly fainted. An idea popped up into his head. "Got another one of those?" It was in his hand almost before he even realized it and thrown even faster-ithe Beedrill offered even less resistance-going with but a single shake before giving up the ghost, and becoming the latest addition to what would soon be a growing team . Thankfully, _this_ pokemon didn't come flying out to tackle him! With those stingers, it would've been quite painful. Still...it made one think.

He'd thought himself to be alone in this world. Then he'd met Sabrina. Followed by Vulpix. Now he'd just captured a Beedrill that'd been trying to kill him no less than a few minutes ago. Such a strange world this realm of people and pokemon. Such a strange realm indeed. But perhaps...

Perhaps his stay in this world wouldn't be quite so bad after all...

**A/N: And there you have it! Despite having a small heart attack yesterday, _Adept_ has been revived and restored to its former glory! REJOIC! For any of you wondering this story loosely follows the events of the Pokemon games themselves, meaning some events will be based on actual in game events-spanning from Red and Blue-all the way to X and Y. I've got big plans for this story, just so long as my health continues to hold. And as to how I'm able to update so rapidly? Painkillers are a wonderful thing, my friends! And Naruto's already got two pokemon in the bag! Its entirely up to ya'll where/how it goes from here!**

**So...in the immortal words Atlas...**

**...Review, Would You Kindly? And of course, enjoy the preview!**

**(Preview)**

_"Back away," Sabrina hissed out a breath, edging southwards in retreat. "Slowly." Naruto was inclined to agree as he peered up at the gargantuan creature towering over their heads, its great bulk momentarily blotting out the sun itself and casting the world in its shadow; it was as if something had taken a snake and merged it with giant boulders, the largest of which composed the creature's face, its angry black eyes peering down a ghoulish glare at the two humans who had disturbed its slumber. One of them had even dared to punch it! The blond one...the one who was still staring at it._

_ Onix didn't like that. Not at all._

_A low rumble started in the back of its throat, building into a snarling growl that promised pain for the fleshy creatures. Sabrina gulped._

_"Whatever you do," the psychic continued softly as she and Naruto edged away, "Don't look it in the eye-_

_Too late._

**_"Gwoooooooah!"_**

_"FUCK MY LIFE!"_

**R&R! =D**


	3. Change

**A/N: I'm back! And my suegeries are is over! I feel like absolute crap just now, but I'm still alive, so I suppose that too, is something to be thankful for, no? And speaking of thankful, major thanks to Dylan Millwood for helping me with this work! Thank god they're letting me use my laptop in the hospital, huh? Consider this my present to you all! Along with the fact that I'm still alive, of course. So...**

**...here we are! Enjoy And remember, I own nothing!**

_"May kami have mercy on my sorry soul..."_

_~?!_

**Change**

"Okay. This is weird."

"Is it?" Sabrina inquired innocently.

_"Yes."_ Naruto's deadpann was barely concealed; the flock of Pidgey perched upon his arms made no such effort. The pigeon-like pokemon had inexplicably dropped out of the sky as they'd cleared Viridan Forest, five of them in number, each claiming a place on his arms, shoulders...hell, one had even made a nest in his hair, much to Vulpix's ire. The little kit would've gladly roasted them if not for a word from her master. Sabrina had to admit, the fox was surprisingly loyal despite his lack of badges. She had to be at least level twenty-five by now and not a once had she tried to disobey him_...damn but she adored her master._

"Vuplix!"

"Kushina, c'mon!" Naruto laughed, lightly reprimanding Vul with her nickname when the kit nuzzled his leg for attention. "There's not enough room for you up here!" Sabrina had wondered at the choice of name herself until he had been explained to her that it'd belonged to his mother. She almost envied him the connection, observing quietly as he stooped to pet his pokemon.

_"The blonde one is...strange." _a telepathic though tickled at the back of her brain, drawing her attentions inward._ "He is _kind_ to my kind as bellies his appearance, yet he is neither human nor pokemon. Perhaps touched by Arceus this one is?"_

Sabrina silently sighed in agreement at the mention of the Pokemon deity; who knew, perhaps it was Arceus that had sent him to this world. As for the voice in her head, that, was courtesy of Alakazam. Doubtlessly her partner was baffled by the ease with which he interacted with Pokemon; though slightly uncomfortable by the flock, the hyibrid made no effort to shoo his new tenants away. It would've been well within his power to do so, perhaps even capture one of them, and yet he did not. It was almost amusing.

"Gah! That tickles!"

Nevertheless, Sabrina savagely suppressed a smile as the blond continued to "suffer" beneath the flock of fowls. Truthfully she found it amusing, but in the same vein, she didn't want Naruto know she was enjoying this little debacle. In reality, it was all she could do not to burst out laughing at the silly scene unfolding before her.

With the issue in Saffron thankfully resolved by that trainer -she hoped- there really wasn't a reason not to enjoy the journey. She'd even let Alakazam out of its pokeball for the day-something she never would've done before back at the gym outside of a battle. The Psychic-type seemed quite pleased itself howver, rarely having a chance to stretch his legs, let alone converse with other pokemon. Indeed he seemed to be getting along swimmingly with Vulpix, the little fire fox now having turned its attentions onto someone that wasn't swarmed with Pidgey.

"Vulpix!" she exclaimed, trotting over to him.

"Kazam?!" the larger pokemon tilted its head in a confused inquiry. "Alakazam?"

Sabrina could've _sworn_ Vulpix was smiling.

"Vul, vul vul!" she explained heatedly, "Vul! Pix!"

"Zam." the psychic-type nodded in understanding, raising a spoon in Naruto's direction. _"Alakazam!"_ Moments later a _very _startled Pidgey found itself engulfed in a faint _(Confusion)_ blue glow. It had just enough time to sqwuak in surprise before it was forcibly removed the blonde's hair, nest and all-thankfully it hadn't laid any eggs yet-its pudgy body rudely ejected from its roost and into the sky, swiftly vacating Naruto's messy mop for another slightly larger pokemon to take its place. And take it she did!

"Pix!"

"Wha-oi?!" Naruto cried out in surprise as Kushina claimed the top of his head as hers, draping herself over him adoringly. "What're ya doing, Kushina?!" But the fox would not be dislodged, she simply attacked his face with her tongue _(Lick)_ when he tried extract her from his scalp. When that failed she cried out her own name _(Charm)_ stalling his attempts entirely.

"Sheesh, fine." he relented, recognizing the futility of such efforts. "You can stay up there. Just don't burn the birds." The other Pidgey somehow unruffled despite Alakazam's psychich interference, simply cooed in quiet questioning at the sudden eviction of their kin. A cone of fire from Vulpix was more than enough to make them reconsider their line of inquiry. No one took her special seat!

"Vul!" the fox chirruped her thanks to her erstwhile ally.

"Zam, Alakazam." the older pokemon waved her gratitude away with a three-fingered hand.

Sabrina gave her pokemon a pointed look.

"Was that really neccesary?"

"Ala." the human-like pokemon shrugged sagely as if to say 'what can you do?' and continued on after Naruto. Shaking her head, Sabrina resigned herself to follow. Truly, her Pokemon had a mind of its own sometimes but so too did Naruto's. She'd already learned the hard way that his Beedrill did _not _feel comfortable around her Alakazam, being a Bug/Poison type. It was right to be a bit fearful she supposed. Surprisingly, the hornet was all too eager to follow _Naruto's_ orders, happily fetching berries_-perhaps in recompense for its earlier temerity?-_whenever asked and more than willing to scout ahead for surprises.

_"Bzzzzzz!"_

Odd. That sounded a good deal like Beedrill now.

"Oi oi," the blonde's grumble reached her ears seconds later, though he reamined out of sight from around the bend. "You weren't kidding. It's a mess!"

Rounding the route's corner she was just in time to watch Naruto conversing with said pokemon, even patting its head, much to the bee's delight. Its multi-faceted eyes narrowed in obvious pleasure, wings beating with glee as its trainer stroked the soft spot between its antennae. Then it saw Alakazam and bristled, immediately. Launching away from its master in a rapid movement the bug type flung itself forward, suddenly brimming with aggression and energy at the prospect of facing its natural enemy.

"Beeeeeedrillll!" It buzzed angrily, scraping its twin needles together in challenge.

_"Zam."_

Alakazam scoffed in flat refual, it wasn't even remotely interested in facing Beedrill. Granted, the bug was plenty strong, but Alakazam simply wasn't the sort to fight without being told.

Naruto sighed as he interposed himself between the pair.

"Easy there, Bugsy." he reached around to stroke one of Beedrill's antennae. "You've been out all day. No need to get so fired up, ya know?"

Sabrina almost choked on her own spit. Did Naruto _have_ to give a nickname to everything he saw? Honestly, she was surprised he hadn't come up with names for her and _her _pokemon! But 'Bugsy; relented, backing off only reluctantly once Naruto promised it a match against the psychic pokemon at a later date. Vulpix crooned her own encouragement, which the latter accepted with an appreciative trill.

"Good boy." he smiled, returning the bug to its pokeball, "Have a long rest."

"It seems the way is blocked." Sabrina mused.

"Yeah, no kidding." Naruto frowned at the massive pile of boulders blocking their path. There was virtually no way around them, the only way to Pewter City was through this roadblock. Sabrina would've thought it an avalanche...but had one of the boulders twitched just now? A reverberating rumble greeted her ears _(Roar)_ not a moment later. As if to mirror that thought, Alakazam retreated to its pokeball, seeking sanctuary deep within the sphere. Whatever was behind those boulders must've truly frightened it. Wait a minute. Those boulders had moved. Rumbled. There was only one pokemon like that...

"I'll break it." Naruto decided abruptly, beginning to wind up. "Stand back!" Sabrina and Vulpix blanched as one, but it was the former who spoke.

"No! Don't!"

Too late.

_BA-KRAM!_

The blow sent the remaining Pidgey shrieking into the sky; perhaps they knew what was about to happen. Naruto certainly didn't.

"Yeow!" He immediately yelped and drew his fist back. "What the hell is this thing made of, iron?! I hit that sonuvabitch at full strength!" That was when the boulders began to move. One by one they rose, composing a serpentine body as long as it was tall. _Onix._ Sabrina recognized the creature at once. They'd woken a sleeping Onix! Naruto sharing no such distinction, simply gawped at it. Beside him Kushina gulped audibly, her eyes as wide as her anatomy would allow.

"V-Vulpix...

"Back away," Sabrina hissed out a breath, edging southwards in retreat. "Slowly." Naruto was inclined to agree as he peered up at the gargantuan creature towering over their heads, its great bulk momentarily blotting out the sun itself and casting the world in its shadow; it was as if something had taken a snake and merged it with giant boulders, the largest of which composed the creature's face, its angry black eyes peering down a ghoulish glare at the two humans who had disturbed its slumber. One of them had even dared to punch it! The blond one...the one who was still staring at it.

Onix didn't like that. Not at all.

A low rumble started in the back of its throat, building into a snarling growl that promised pain for the fleshy creatures. It rose even higher upon its tail, the boulders that formed its brutal body grinding together with a ponderous groan. Clearly it was more than a little displeased at having had its nap interrupted.

Sabrina gulped.

"Whatever you do," the psychic continued softly as she and Naruto edged away, "Don't look it in the eye-"

Naruto paled at that. Having never seen anything like the rock snake before, he naturally stared at it. And as for looking it in the eye...

Too late.

_"Gwoooooooah!"_ Onix roared and lunged at them.

"FUCK MY LIFE!" Naruto shouted.

Kushina jumped at the Onix and let loose a burst of flame, aiming right for the rock-type's eyes, one of the few vulnerable spots on a rock pokemon's body unless you were either a water-type or a Rhydon. The wild pokemon shut its eyes through, and smashed into the Vulpix like a train.

Naruto caught her as she was slammed backwards and he and Sabrina dodged out of the way of the Onix's attack. As the angry pokemon turned around for another lunge, Naruto looked at the small fox he'd decided to name after his mother.

Seeing his partner injured, Something in Naruto snapped.

Passing his starter pokemon to Sabrina, Naruto glared at the stone serpent and held out one hand, and with a whirling hum of energy, a blue sphere that looked about the size of a soft ball, and it also had several swirls to it almost as if it was moving from the inside began to form in his hand.

Lunging at the pokemon, Onix let out a roar of sheer agony as the ball struck it and it was sent flying backwards, spinning uncontrollably until it crashed into the cliff behind it. It blacked out from the pain.

Spitting at the Onix, Naruto rushed over to Kushina and placed a hand on her, and the little fox shuttered. Naruto could feel the broken bones in the brave little kit.

"H-how did you do that?" Sabrina asked.

"What? The Rasengan? It's a pressurized ball of raw energy that spins in all directions while still being compressed to fit in my hand, so the pressure builds. So when it hits something, it digs in like a drill and expands like an explosion. There's no way to strengthen your internal organs, no matter what you try, so any enemy hit with that kind of attack is going to surcumb. Minimum impact, maximum effect." Naruto said, taking Kushina back and set his pokemon on the ground on her side to check her over.

As soon as he explained that, Sabrina nodded with wide eyes. That was a nasty attack to be hit by, and the mechanics behind it made it easy to understand why that was. Then she looking at Kushina and Naruto, Sabrina winced, not even needing her powers to tell Naruto was worried for his little fire pokemon's safety. "We could take her to a Pokemon Center to get her healed up, but there's not one around for miles." Sabrina said, easily seeing and understanding her companion's distress.

Naruto looked at her, horror struck. Miles! But Kushina might not last that long! He felt his heart wrench at the thought of loosing the little fox who he'd named after his mother and that almost reminding him of a mini Kurama, minus the evil eyes.

Wait a minute...! It was a gamble. But it was the only chance his partner had. He kept his hand on Kushina's side and shut his eyes. Please let it still be there!

Plunging his focus into finding what he was looking for, Naruto was rewarded when a fiery orange-red chakra burst from his body and then traveled down into his little fox. Kushina squirmed at the foreign energy entering her body and then she was suddenly enveloped in whit light, glowing from within and seeming to grow and change.

Naruto yelped and jerked away. Shocked.

Sabrina put her hand on his shoulder, but she was just as surprised as he was. A Vulpix evolving without a Fire Stone's energy radiation? Unheard of! But Naruto _was_ a very unique being, so perhaps the idea of his little fox evolving all on its own wasn't all that strange.

"Relax...pokemon do that when they evolve." she told him.

When the light Kushina emitted faded, however, the shinobi and the physic's jaws dropped. WHAT THE...?!

Sabrina was expecting a Ninetails...but this...!?

"...I stand corrected. That's NOT supposed to happen..." she said.

Where Naruto's Vulpix had once been was a young woman.

The bangs of her long, fiery, dark crimson red hair perfectly framed her unblemished heart-shaped face while cascading down her back like a waterfall of blood down to her firm and shapely rear.

She was currently wearing a rather revealing red battle kimono that left her shoulders bare while showing off a great deal of her firm and perky D-cups. The kimono, although closed and held in place by a black Obi, opened up at about mid-thigh to reveal her long creamy legs; she wore no footwear of any kind however. To finish up the 5'8 beauty had three faint whisker marks on each cheek, red fox ears with black tips that came out the top of her head and nine silky smooth tails, the same color as her ears, connected to her tailbone just over her rump. Her tails swayed about in a soothing yet enticing manner.

She blinked as her eyes fluttered open, exposing that they were a blood red, a fact that was enhanced all the more by her pale cream colored skin. Still blinking, she sat up and at the sight of the two people before her, the woman smiled warmly as she looked upon them, more specifically, Naruto. The latter just gawped. Who the hell was this? More importantly, what-

"Master!"

Naruto clapped his hands over his face as a fountain of crimson liquid escaped from between his fingers. WHAT?! What the HELL did this woman...!

Sabrina's jaw dropped. She was just as shocked as Naruto, and it was evident when the ground cracked and heavy chunks of the earth began to jut up wildly in height, fray together, and wrap the area for a ninety yard circumference around them into a craggy, hard-to-navigate mess.

Naruto snapped out of his shock as the ground shook, without thinking he grabbed both Sabrina and the new woman by the hand and tried to keep himself as safe as possible. If he didn't keep himself on edge, any of them could have gotten their leg broken, or worse. As the landscape continued to warp and change, Naruto sought refuge for himself and the ladies with him on an upright spire as the tremors came to an end.

Sabrina blushed, she'd been so stunned that she'd let her control of her powers slip and her psychic abilities had caused a concentrated earthquake.

"...What was that?" Naruto asked, knowing earthquakes don't do that naturally, and it ended and started too abruptly to be normal. It was more like a Doton jutsu.

"...Uh...Master, the Onix is waking up." the fox-woman pointed out urgently.

Pailing at that, Naruto had one of his tails snag one of those red and white balls and tossed the ball at the stone snake. Naruto was shocked when the two halves of the orb opened, engulfing the Onix in a swirl of red light. He looked on, thunderstruck as that light was sucked into the now-open pokeball, which snapped shut upon its passing, rolling quietly to the ground. There was a bit of noise as it jostle once, twice, three times and then...ding! The red light still flashing suddenly dimmed. Just like that. It was done.

"...Just how big can something be to keep that ball from sucking it in?" he wondered aloud.

Sabrina and the other woman shrugged before Naruto hopped to the ground and set them both on their feet. Despite the ire he'd felt at the beast only moments before he still picked up the pokeball and attached it to his belt next to the one with his Beedrill in it, then turned to the woman.

"Now just who are you...and why do you keep calling me 'Master'?" Naruto asked, slightly perturbed and puzzled. Where oh where had Vulpix gone? As if sharing this very question Sabrina laid her hands on either side of the person's head, her eyes glowing as she scanned this woman's memory...she'd barely started before she jerked away with a start. Gawping she stared, wide eyed at the other female.

"No way...that's...impossible...!" she sputtered, hopelelssly confused. "How could you...What was that red energy...?!"

_Kurama's chakra...?!_

Naruto's mouth dropped open. "K-Ku-Kushina?!" he sputtered.

"Of course!" The female fox-human hybrid giggled at their expressions and put her hand under Naruto's jaw; the slightest application of pressure closed his mouth again. "Who else would I be? _You_ gave me that name yourself, Master." There was a long, awkward pause between Naruto and Sabrian

"Are you seeing this?" Naruto muttered. "Please tell me you're seeing this."

Sabrina gulped, her face bone white.

"I am."

"Thought so." Naruto said, feeling his vision begin to dim. "Yeah...I'm gonna pass out now."

"_Ditto_."

At that, both Naruto and Sabrina sighed and fainted, their heads knocking against one another at they hit the ground. Kushina blinked owlishly, baffled by their sudden knockout. Her tails flicked curiously.

"Wonder why that happened..."

* * *

><p>Sabrina started awake seconds later, her eyes peering not at the open sky, but darkness incarnate. Shadow stretched outward in every direction, offering her no recompense but forward. What was this tunnel in which she found herself? Where did it lead? Why was it filled with water? All these questions and more welled up at the forefront of her brain, but no answers were forthcoming. Forced to choose between standing here in this dank water and walking, she chose to walk, hoping the passageway wasn't as long as it appeared. As fate would have it. It wasn't.<p>

That was when she saw it.

Her corridor branched outward into a massive chamber, the likes of which stored a cage. An empty cage. Dead. Empty. Hollow. Her psychic powers confirmed that nothing existed beyond those blackened bars, and yet at the same time, she sensed...a prescence...

**"Well, well, lookee what we have here." **the voice seemed to come from everywhere at once.** "A guest! If I'd known you were coming I would've tidied up a bit."**

A blur of motion registered in her peripheals, aborting itself in the form of a loud splash in the darkness. Footsteps plodded towards her, ripples revealing themselves, taking human shape and form. She knew it at once, rather, she thought she did.

"Naruto?"

Dark eyes fluttered open, exposing brooding red irises.

"Nope." _Naruto_ shook his head, the motion sending wet droplets spattering in every direction. "Name's Yami." the doppleganger introduced himself with a bow and a flourish, dark red eyes glittering with amusement, bleak and otherwise. A cold chill shot up her spine at what he said next. "Welcome to the boss's brain. Or mindscape. Never really figured out the terms for that." A shrug. "Bottom line, that little headbutt back there momentarily knocked you into his head. Sooooo...welcome!" He spread his arms wide, "To my humble abode!"

Sabrina blinked, uncertain how to respond.

"Erm...

"Why so serious?" Yami asked, breaking out into laughter moments later. "Ahhhh, I love that line. But its not _sooooo_ bad in here, really, once you get used to it. Kinda lonely though without Kurama. I miss the talks, ya know?" He turned, revealing one half of his visage to be horribly scarred, though whether it was intentional on his part or merely a reflection of Naruto's own pscyhe remained to be seen. She was suddenly quite certain that this "Yami" character wasn't just broken inside. He was insane. His very being radiated pain and loss and sorrow on an almost primal level, maginified even further by her psychic aptitude.

"You..." she cringed, almost vomitting at the negative emotions wafting off of him. "What are you? Where's Naruto?"

"Me?" Yami tittered softly. "I'm me! No two ways about it. I've been here for as long as I can remember. As for the boss...he's indisposed at the moment. So its just me for the time being." Abruptly, his grin shrank. "Say girlie, I never got your name, did I? Why don'tcha tell me." It was not a request, she realized. This...this...creature was clearly not well in the head. Any attempt at refusal might meet with catastrophich results. Reluctantly, she gave it.

"S-Sabrina."

Yami's grin grew until it was almost grotesque, his deadly canines peeking out over the edges of his mouth.

"Well then, Sabrina, It's been awhile since I've had company. Such a long time. Not since the Falls of Truth. Tell me, do you like movies? Oops, sorry. Not movies. I meant _memories_. I get so bored watching them over and over-I mean, you've seen someone die once, you've seen it a thousand times, right? Am I right? Of course I'm right! So whaddya sa? Feel like reminiscing with me? I mean its not like you've got anything better ta do now, ya know. He woulda shown you this sooner or later, but, I figure hey, best ta get the roadblack outta the way first. Like that Onix back there. The Rasengan was my idea, ya know. I wanted to kill that damned but nooooo, the boss had to be all wimpy and shit an' capture it. Bah! But at least some good came out of it; I mean, instead of a pokemon, he's got a little servant now and everything...score!"

Sabrina drew back, disgusted by this creature. This...this was not Naruto. This was something else.

"Bingo, babe!" Yami grinned. "Now are you gonna pussyfoot around all day, or are ya gonna answer me?"

"I...you...let me out of here this instant!"

"I'll take that as yes!" he sneered, vanishing with a maddened cackle, but his voice remained, ever tormenting her. "Enjoy your stay in Hotel Naruto! And _do_ try not to lose your mind! It'd be such a shame to lose a fine piece of ass like yours, especially considering the boss has his eye on ya."

There was a silence.

And then.

And _then._

_...what?!"_

Then the memories hit and the psychic was lost in the past.

**A/N: And there you have it! This fic has returned! Once again, major thanks to Dylan Millwood, whom without their assistance this chapter wouldn't have been remotely possible. I know this story has been slow in starting, but there'll be some action, battles, romance, etc. quite soon! Because now Vulpix is a hybrid...just like Naruto! There will be quite In any case, I do so hope you enjoyed the surprise there at the end! Also!**

**Stop SOPA. 2014.**

**Stop SOPA. SOPA stands for Stop Online Piracy Acts. In this case, all fanart will be deleted, all fan-pages, fanfics, fan made videos, etc. Please help stop SOPA.**

**Spread the word to your readers, due date for it is March 19th of this year!**

**So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...**

**...Review Would You Kinldy!**

**R&R! =D**


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